Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Southern California air regulators may move forward with new restrictions on the sale of certain gas appliances, including water heaters.
Despite pushback from businesses and developers, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in a 2-1 decision last week upheld restrictions on commercial and industrial gas appliances in four Los Angeles-area counties.
The decision directly affects approximately 1.3 million water heaters and industrial boilers in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, according to the Sierra Club, a defendant in the lawsuit. South Coast Air Quality Management District took office in 2024which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.
- Noah Rothdeputy press secretary at the Sierra Club, in a statement: “When fully implemented, the Boiler Rule will avoid over 2,800 premature deaths, 11,800 cases of asthma, and 300,000 lost work and school days, yielding over $95 billion in health benefits.”
Air board earlier this year gave up on expanding housing restrictions.
Opponents argued that the restrictions violated federal law by banning appliances protected by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, and that the rules would limit consumer choice and raise the cost of appliances.
But the court ruled that the air district has the authority to target sources of pollution under the Clean Air Act.
- District Judge Lucy Co, according to the majority opinion: “If Congress wanted to interfere with the system of federal-state cooperation established by the (Clean Air Act), to impede EPA’s statutory authority to protect public health and welfare, or to limit the ability of states to meet federal air quality standards, one would expect Congress to have said so. But Congress said nothing.”
More ways to get news from CalMatters: We have an app available for both iPhone and Android users. Every morning you will receive a notification of the most important news of the day and be the first to learn about important breaking news.
Other stories you should know
Expanding access to abortion pills
A bill that would expand access to medical abortion for California college students faces opposition from health center directors who say they don’t have enough personnel or infrastructure to implement the proposal.
Like CalMatters’ Andrea Baltodano College Journalism Network explains that after a 2019 state law requiring UC and Cal State University health centers to provide medical abortion, the Legislature is considering a bill that would require the state’s 92 university colleges with health centers to do the same by 2029.
In addition to raising funding concerns, college health centers say many do not prescribe drugs and may not have the clinical capacity to provide medical abortion.
- Michelle Barkleyassociation president and nurse practitioner at Cosumnes River College: “Some of our campuses have 5,000 students. Their health center is run by one registered nurse.”
Feds buy ICE detention centers
In a $1.5 billion deal, two of California’s largest immigration detention centers were sold to the federal governmentwrite Wendy Fry and Nigel Duara of CalMatters.
CoreCivic, a private prison company, sold the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego County and the California City Detention Center in Kern County to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which under the Trump administration has been buying up warehouses and detention centers to expand capacity.
CoreCivic said it expects to continue to operate both facilities under its contracts, although there is no guarantee it will continue to operate them after the agreements expire.
The Otay Mesa facility drew attention earlier this year after county leaders accused the federal government and CoreCivic of blocking health officials from conducting inspections in violation of state law. Federal judge later granted access to employees towards the center.
And finally: Homelessness in California
A federal report released in May found that California’s homeless population would decrease by 2.8 percent in 2025 — the first reduction in homelessness in years. CalMatters’ Marissa Kendall and Director of Video Strategy Robert Meeks have a video segment on the latest annual number of homeless peopleas part of our partnership with PBS SoCal. Watch it here.
SoCalMatters airs at 5:58pm on Fridays on PBS SoCal.
California voices
CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: The rules surrounding the recording and storage of vehicle operational data highlight the number of potential privacy issues and government regulations that come with cars equipped with electronic platforms.
An attempt to close an East Oakland public charter school based on a narrow interpretation of performance data does a disservice to students and families and undermines California’s promise to build a better education system, Jerry Brown writesformer governor of California.
Other things worth your time:
CA bans “sold by” food labels. to reduce food waste // AP news
Californians can get a $3,500 discount new EV purchase // Los Angeles Times
Inside the secret AI war between Silicon Valley and China // The Washington Post
A powerful heat ridge is building over the West. This is when CA feels it // San Francisco Chronicle
The alarming new trend this makes California wildfires more dangerous // The Mercury News
Like Steve Hilton’s wifeRachel Whetstone, Conquer California // The San Francisco Standard
Thousands of bilingual teachersCA schools appeal to high school students // EdSource
